Projectile structure



June 30, 1959 Q A, LYQN PROJECTILE STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 22, 1955 if Q25 Z2- 2 YEIZ. DLT" 65076 ,1/be r- L yon United States Patent O t PROJECTILE STRUCTURE George Albert Lyon, Detroit,`Micl1. t Application October 22, 1953, Serial No. 387,759

i 3 Claims. (Cl. 102-49) The present invention relates to improvements in projectiles of the self-propelled or propulsion` assist type, and means for guiding the same.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved projectile having novel self-propulsion or propulsion assist means. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a projectile having improved propulsion nozzle means.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved projectile structure and novel means for maintaining the projectile in head-on flight. t

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved projectile of the self-propelled type and novel means for maintaining the same centered andpositioned in a launching tube or gun barrel.

Yet another object of the invention is to providenovel initial resistance structure for self-propelled projectiles adapted to hold the projectile against propulsion movementv in a launching barrel until the self-propulsion motor of the projectile has attained predetermined propulsion force.

It is also an object .of the invention to provide improved launching structure for a projectile having a takcs olf restraining tail structure according to the present invention.

Other objects, features and advantages'- of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein: 'e

Figure 1 is a fragmental side elevational view of a projectile structure embodying features of the-present invention; l. I

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially on'the line II..II of Figurefl;

Figure' 3 is an enlargedfra'gmentary vertical sectional detail View taken substantially on the line III-Ill of Figure 1, with the addition of launching or barrel structure supporting the projectile.

A projectile embodying the features of the present invention, as shown in Figure l, comprises a preferably cylindrical body 5 carrying coaxially at its forward end a forwardly tapered head member 7 which in turn is adapted to carry a nose fuse plug (not shown). The head 7 is adapted to contain an explosive charge while the body 5 is adapted to contain a propulsion charge.

At its base end, the body 5 has formed integral in one piece therewith a combination base and propulsion nozzle portion 8. As best seen in Figure 3, the cylindrical shell providing the body 5 is preferably of substantially uniform thin cylindrical wall structure substantially to juncture with the base and nozzle portion 8. At such juncture, a narrow inwardly and downwardly tapering ledge 9 is provided which is of gradually increasing thickness from the base end of the housing wall to juncture of an angularly related generally frusto-conical progressively constricted nozzle portion 10 of substantial length.

N 2,892,409 P'atentedrJune 30, 1959,'

. 2 v A venturi throat 11 joins the nozzle head portion l10 to a aring nozzle tail 12. As will be observed in Figure 3, the nozzle head 10 is of gradually increasing thickness from the ledge 9 to the venturi throat 11. Thereby the nozzle head l1|) isv adapted to withstand great pressures and high temperatures developed by an ignited propulsion charge within the chamber defined by the projectile body or motor casing 5. The greatest thickness of the nozzle structure is at the venturi throat 11, and the nozzle tail 12 is of a gradually diminishing thickness to its terminal edge.

By constructing the nozzle structure 8 and the motor or body casing 5 all in one integral piece, failures duetov inaccuracies of assembly, or improper connection or holding together of separately formedfparts are avoided.,- Furthermore, the labor involved in making separate parts and assembling the same is saved.

For centering the projectile in a launching or barrel device 13, and for restraining the projectile against slow launching, the projectile is provided with a tail memberr ,14 of laterally expansible and contractible structure and `or continuous cylindrical head ring portion 15 whichfis of an internal diameter to engage the lower extremity portion of the body 5 externally. A iixed, permanent attachment of the head ring 15 of the tail member to` the body 5 is effected in any suitable manner such as welding, brazing, or other desirable expedient. By preference, the external diameter of the head ring 15 is the same as the outside diameter of a portion 17 at the upper,

or head end of the body 5 at juncture with the he`ad x 7, and such diameter is complementary to the diameter of a bore 18 within the launching device 13 for sliding guiding engagement between the ring 15, the portion 17 and; the Wall defining the bore 18. This assures concentricity of the projectile within the bore 18 and straight guiding of` the projectile through the bore during launching. Y At the opposite or lower end extremity of `the tail member 14 is provided a second or trailing cylindrical solid. ring 19 which is concentric jwith and of the same external diameter as the head end ring 15.V Concentricallyand relatively axially vmovably connecting thehead and ex- `tremity rings V-15 and 19 is a'uniform series of preferably.,- uniformly equally dimensioned, radially outwardly bowed laterally symmetrically spaced, longitudinallyelongated, resilient spring slats or bar sZiB. As best seen iniFigures-g l and. 3; the barrel-like tail membert 14 vhas the"springjl slats 20 bowed to a maximum diameter which is 'soul-'zstantially greater than the maximum diameter of the remainder of the projectile while nevertheless the slats afford a smoothly streamlined tail structure. Therefore, the tail member 14 serves in the propelled travel of the projectile to afford suflicient resistance to slipstream air passing the same to prevent deviation of the projectile from tip-on movement in its flight trajectory. The `substantial longitudinal spaces between the slats 2t) permit entry of substantial slipstream air to avoid development of a retarding vacuum within the tail piece as well as to enable cooling movement of such air about the nozzle 8 which, it will be observed, is shorter than the tail member 14 so that the latter projects downwardly substantially beyond the extremity of the nozzle. lf desired, the slats 20 may be uniformly tilted about their longitudinal axes to react spiral vane-like with the slipstream air to impart an axial spinning movement to the projectile in iiight.

Within the launching barrel or tube 13, the tail member 14 functions as a position maintaining and launching restraining device. To this end, the launcher 13 has a breech chamber 21 of a diameter which is preferably greater than the diameter of the barrel bore 18 but slightly less than the fully or maximum expanded condition of the resilient slats 20. Hence, when the breech chamber 21 is opened by removing a suitable breech block 22 at its rear end and the projectile is inserted into the launcher, the outwardly bowed tail piece slats 20 will resiliently shoulder against the wall dening the breech chamber 21 by the slight compression to which the slats are uniformly `subjected within the chamber. By preference, the inner end portion of the breech chamber 21 is arcuately tapered to provide a shoulder 23 Complementary to the forward shoulders defined by the slats 20 to juncture thereof with the head ringr15 of the tail piece. Thereby longitudinal positioning of the projectile in the barrel or launching member 13 is determined by the tail member 14 cooperating with the wall dening the breech chamber 21 and more especially the arcuately tapered shoulder portion 23 of the breech chamber adjacent the entrance into the barrel bore 18.

Upon firing of the projectile either by a propulsion charge therebehind or by self-propulsion by the burning of a propulsion charge within the motor chamber of the housing 5, with resulting booster pressure Within the breech chamber 21 of exhaust gases emanating from the nozzle 8, substantial predetermined pressure or driving force must be developed to overcome the resistance t forward movement by engagement of the forward shoulders of the slats 20 with the shoulder 23 within the breech chamber, until the slats 20 will yield and ex inwardly to pass the juncture between the shoulder 23 and the entrance to the bore 18. As a result, when the slats 20 compress and straighten out and release the projectile for launching through the bore 18 sufficient propulsion force will have developed within or behind the projectile to assure launching movement at a high rate of speed from the initial acceleration thereof, thus reducing recoil.

It will be observed that when the slats 20 straighten out to the diameter of the launching bore 18 and thereby substantially the diameter of the head and trailing end rings 15 and 19 of the tail member 14, the slats cooperate with the rings to guide the projectile in its launch ing movement until the projectile is entirely clear of the launching barrel.

'It will be understood that modiiications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a projectile structure, a body casing, and a tail member on the base end portion of the body casing, said tail member having a ring head of larger outside diameter than said base end portion encircling and secured to the body casing and providing a centering spacer thereabout engageable with a launching bore wall, said tail member having a series of spaced longitudinally extending outwardly bowed resilient strips normally extending to a greater diameter than saidhead ring for cooperation with a launching bore to retain the projectile in position therein but compressible to substantially the diameter of said head ring for passage through a launching bore, said strips being integrally connected at their trailing ends by a continuous ring of no lgreater diameter than said head ring and movable longitudinally relative to the head ring upon compression and expansion of said strips.

2. In a projectile structure of the self-propulsion type, an elongated motor casing providing a motor chamber and having a tail end portion terminating in a propulsion nozzle structure, and means for centering said casing in the bore of a launching device and guiding the same for projection therefrom comprising ya tail member having a ring of larger outside diameter than said tail end portion extending about and secured to said tail end portion of said casing and serving as a centering spacer engageable with launching bore Wall, said ring having a series o f spaced outwardly bowed longitudinally extending resilient strips extending therefrom connected at their trailing ends by a continuous ring portion, said ring portion affording an opening of substantial diameter rear- Wardly from the nozzle structure for passage of exhaust from the nozzle structure.

3. In a projectile structure of the self-propulsion type, an elongated drawn metal motor Icasing providing a motor chamber and having drawn in one piece therewith and as an extension of a tail end portion thereon a venturi nozzle of substantially smaller over-all diameter, and means for centering the casing in a launching bore comprising a ring of larger outside diameter than said base end portion of the casing, said ring having projecting therefrom in the same direction as said venturi nozzle resiliently compressible structure normally projecting to a substantially larger diameter than the outside diameter of the ring and thus engageable within an enlarged breech chamber leading into the launching bore to retain the projectile in the breech end portion of the launching bore until tired.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,191,357 Snyder July 18, 1916 2,460,289 Hickman Feb. 1, 1949 2,470,162 Goehmann May 17, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 556,302 France Apr. 11, 1923 244,484 Italy Feb. 22, 1926 864,822 VFrance Feb. 3, 1941 864,831 France Feb. 3, 1941 2,826 Great Britain of 1856 

